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"Star Spangled Banner," Lyrics, Text Format

Extended range, four and five note ascending and descending tonic arpeggios, including an ascending minor tenth, Do/Mi8, and, a sharp subdominant (Fi) becoming a leading tone to the dominant.

 

Description

  • Grade: Fifth
  • Origin: England – music: John Stafford Smith – 1777
    USA – words: Francis Scott Key – 1814
  • Key: C Major 
  • Time: 3/4
  • Form: AABC
  • Rhythm: beginners: | ta ta ta | ta/a ti ti |
    | ta\ ti ta | syncopation, | ta ti ti ti ti | ta ta ti ti |
  • Pitches: advanced: Do Mi Fi So La Ti Do Re Mi Fa So – raised subdominant (4, Fi) functions as a leading tone to the dominant (5, So), extended range
  • Intervals: advanced: Do8\So\Mi\Do descending tonic arpeggio (I, C), Do/Mi/So/Do8/Mi8 ascending tonic arpeggio (I, C), Do\Mi (m6), Mi/Fi (M2), Do/So (P5), So/Mi8 (P4), Do/Mi8 (m10), La/Re (P4), Re/Fa (m3), So8\Do (P5) Fa\Re (m3)
  • Musical Elements: notes: half, dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; pickup beat, vocal slur, repeated melodic rhythm patterns, extended range, syncopation, four and five note tonic arpeggios, minor tenth (Do/Mi8), sharp subdominant (4, Fi) 
  • Key Words: USA history, War of 1812, USA patriotic song, National Anthem of the United States of America, Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key’s “Defense of Fort McHenry“, world geography: London, England: Anacreontic Society: an gentlemen’s social club for amateur musicians in London, John Stafford Smith’s, “To Anacreon in Heaven”; proudly, hailed, gleaming, whose, perilous, ramparts (mounds of dirt), gallantly, streaming, glare, bombs, bursting, proof, dimly, free, brave, haughty, dread, reposes, towering, steep, fitfully, conceals, half discloses, gleam, glory reflected, freeman, between, peace, rescued, praise, power, preserved, nation, conquer, just cause, “In God is our trust”, triumph; abbreviations: thro’ (through) o’er (over), vict’ry (victory), Heav’n (Heaven), pow’r (power); possessives: dawn’s, twilight’s, rockets’, foe’s, morning’s, war’s

The Star-Spangled Banner Flag or the Great Garrison Flag (at the time having 15 stars and 15 strips) was the garrison flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor during the naval portion of the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. Seeing the flag during the battle inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry“, later retitled with the flag’s name: “Star Spangled Banner” and set to the tune: “To Anacreon in Heaven“, by John Stafford Smith. It became the National Anthem of the United States in 1941.


“Star Spangled Banner”
 

1.
Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there;
Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?
2.
On the shore dimly seen thro’ the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner, Oh! long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
3. Oh thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation.
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land
Praise the pow’r that has made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
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"Star Spangled Banner," Music Format
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pitch numbers
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solfeggio
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